Henrico Tarantino
'Henrico Tarantino '(16 December 2 L.C.) is the last surviving member of the Tarantino Family, a group of merchants within an estate in Boralus, Kul Tiras. He grew up learning a variety of skills ranging from how to fish to how to read navigational charts. Later in his adulthood, Henrico claimed his fathers' ship, The King's Stride, an heirloom of the Tarantino family. With this ship, Tarantino would navigate the seas, plundering goblin and orcish vessels, and negotiate trade with other factions of the Alliance. Eventually, Henrico would tire down, and decide to join forces of Stormwind and enlist as an officer in The King's Colonial Guard. History Childhood Born during the Second War, Henrico Tarantino lived in the Kingdom of Kul Tiras with his mother and father, Apollonia and Robert Tarantino. The Tarantino Family was prosperous and wealthy before the Second War, making their wealth off a merchant guild they ran within the capital city of Boralus. They mainly traded in the export of seafood, livestock, lumber, grain, gold, and other such goods. With the coming of the Orcish Horde from the south, however, the family lost many of their ships due to naval raids. At this point in time, the Tarantino Family had lost most of their prestige and wealth, forcing them to sell their worldly possessions, including their home and other properties. All they had left to their name was the King’s Stride, a small sloop which served the family as a transport vessel. Once the Second War ended, the Tarantino Family had little left on the island nation. Thus, they chose to chart a new course elsewhere, choosing to travel to Menethil Harbor, and then hopefully further south into Khaz Modan. During the voyage to the dwarven lands, Apollonia fell ill and did not recover. She died at sea, and was buried at Menethil Harbor upon their arrival. Growing up, Henrico followed in his father’s footsteps, learning a variety of skills ranging from how to fish to how to read navigational charts. Henrico’s father, Robert, decided to find new work as an independent merchant captain, and he took his only son along with him. It would be during his teenage years that Henrico served as an apprentice under his father, who commanded the crew of the King’s Stride on their long voyages throughout the Great Sea. The young man saw the many lands that resided along the western coastlines of the Eastern Kingdoms, from the dwarven continent of Khaz Modan to the goblin controlled territories of Stranglethorn Vale. Yet, at twenty-two years of age, tragedy struck once again. Living the high life on the open sea was a dangerous existence, and the King’s Stride would not be spared from such. The sloop was boarded by goblin pirates, and Henrico’s father died in the ensuing battle. A great deal of the ship’s crew and all its cargo was lost, leaving the young Henrico orphaned and alone. At this point in his life, his mistrust of foreign races had grown exponentially, seeing goblins as mischievous and greedy. Not one to simply accept circumstance, he decided to take the King’s Stride under his command. Henrico sailed north and south along the western coast, using what little coin remained in the Tarantino Family’s name to hire blacksmiths from Khaz Modan to fortify the King’s Stride and prepare it once again for new voyages. New, quality cannons were added, the hull was made of sturdy wood, and finely crafted sails were installed to withstand even the roughest of seas and gales. Life on the Great Sea The King’s Stride was no longer a mere transport vessel, but a swift and agile fighting ship. For five years, Henrico sailed all over Azeroth, flying the Tarantino Family crest proudly. The man sought vengeance for the wrongs done to him, prosecuting his own brand of justice as he saw fit. From Gadgetzan to Booty Bay, he sunk and plundered his way through the goblin trade fleets, taking from those he saw as undeserving and insidious. Along the way, he saw many new lands, recruited the grittiest of sailors, and charmed countless fair dames. Due to his success as a corsair on the high seas, he managed to gain wealth only rivaled by the Tarantino Family’s previous successes back in Kul Tiras. These riches too came with heightened notoriety among other factions that prowled the seas, particularly the goblin trade barons. Time and time again, mercenaries and pirates under contract were sent out to hunt down Captain Tarantino in the hopes of bringing him in and ending his reign of terror. Just as the pirate’s life got a bit too dangerous, even for Henrico and his hardened crew, the young captain gained the notice of the Honorable Stormwind Trading Company. The Stormwind Trading Company The S.T.C. was ready to turn a profit wherever they could, and they saw Captain Tarantino and the ''King’s Stride ''as potential, money-making allies. An offer was extended to Henrico by members of the Company, stating that he’d be pardoned for his crimes against the Crown should he join up with the S.T.C. After all, even the bold Captain had “accidentally” fired upon a few Stormwind merchant vessels here and there. Deciding to not anger the most powerful navy in the eastern hemisphere, Henrico accepted and entered into the service of the Company’s privateer navy. Now at twenty-seven years of age, this seasoned sailor still had plenty of energy and vigor left in him. However, the young captain had to become accustomed to the concept of following orders and answering to superiors. For years, he had lived the free life, answering to no one except his fellow crew members and the Holy Light above. Now, he was placed under the trust of a recently promoted merchant captain by the name of Edrington Grunwald, an employee of the S.T.C. and a soldier within the Company’s merchant marine. The two initially didn’t get along very well, with Henrico sailing off on his own and Edrington barking orders at the man to no effect, but their relationship soon turned for the better during the many trade wars the Company engaged in. Through fire and sword, the two men became trustworthy business partners with one another, and some could say they began to form a friendship. Yet, their relationship was to be short lived. Edrington had, in his greed, sent out a merchant fleet during a storm, gambling that the ships could make it past the monsoon and arrive at Stormwind City by month’s end. The fleet never made it, and Edrington was forced to declare bankruptcy. As his partner was taken into irons and sent off to the Courts, Captain Tarantino was left without a superior and purposeless. Some of the ships in that fleet he knew personally, and so he quietly resented Edrington’s greed. Not wanting to be a part of such a cut-throat affair any longer, he departed from his service with the Company and sailed off on his own once again. Return to Stormwind For all intents and purposes, Henrico Tarantino simply sailed wherever the horizon would lead him, his mistrust of authority driving him ever further. However, at some point in his life, now nearing his thirties, something clicked in him. Whether it be a want to rectify past misdoings or a desire to simply try once more, the brave captain sailed back to the Eastern Kingdoms, having heard word of a new venture starting up in Stranglethorn Vale. Apparently, the Kingdom of Stormwind had established a new colony in the jungles of the region, known as Kingsland. What’s more, the man that was to be placed in charge was well known to him, and Henrico was eager to see if his old friend had truly changed for the better. Category:Characters Category:Human Category:Tirasian Category:Merchants Category:Soldiers Category:The Royal Colonial Guard Category:Kingsland Category:Pirates Category:Grand Alliance Navy